The invention relates to the technical field of making orthoses and supports for medical, sporting and protective purposes in particular.
The inventive approach adopted by the applicant was inspired by the problems encountered with lumbar support belts.
Textile-based belts of this type are known and are designed with stiffening means of the metal stay type or sheets separately fitted in the support fabric.
FIG. 1 shows a belt according to the prior art. It is denoted by (1) and its middle part which corresponds to application of pressure to the individual's back comprises a plurality of stay covers (2) that are separately fitted and stitched or otherwise attached to one of the surfaces of the belt. These stay covers which are closed, after fitting the stays (3), are generally made of a material that is different to the material which the belt is made of, for example materials such as woven tape, artificial leather or certain types of plastic. In practice, these stay covers are obtained from a flat strip which, when the belt is made, is separately fitted on the belt by appliqué in order to form pockets for accommodating stays. These stay covers, in the form of flat strips, are thus separately fitted and attached by stitching or similar methods to the support fabric, the stay being sandwiched between the body of the fabric and said strip. The pockets thus formed are permanently arranged with predetermined spacing. Depending how they are produced, belts may have additional pockets located in the part that is an extension of the part that is applied to the back so that it extends onto the flanks of the individual wearing the belt. Thus, belts are produced and designed specifically for predetermined sizes and with a predefined number within a range depending on the age, size and morphology of the wearer.
In practice, this type of belt which is widely adopted by many manufacturers has several drawbacks or limitations.
A first drawback is firstly the fact that it is expensive to produce because it is necessary to make the actual textile belt and the pockets separately. Stiffening means are then inserted into said pockets which are then closed and subsequently, or simultaneously, attached to the belt by stitching or other means of attachment. Alternatively, depending on the manufacturing technique, the pockets can be arranged on the belt open at appropriate locations and then the operator inserts the stays one by one and this operation is continued by closing all the pockets. This job therefore takes a long time and involves many different operations. In addition, the problem of positioning the pockets on the belt requires inspection, marking out and perfect measurement of distances in order to fit a plurality of pockets that accommodate said stiffening means.
Another drawback is the non-modifiable use of pockets on the belt so that even though there may be several belt sizes, the belt that is offered to the wearer is not always perfectly appropriate to the user's morphology.
Another drawback is the fact that the volume of the belt thus designed is considerable because the pockets for accommodating stays protrude on one side and the belt, when rolled up for storage or packing, takes up a considerable space.
Another drawback resulting from the technique used to produce these belts is the fact that they often have a single predefined application.
Despite these drawbacks or limitations, these belts are, in the absence of other solutions and suggestions, used in accordance with this concept.